Wise men in the East could have solution to top class teaching

Lexie Scott, head of Gracehill primary and a past president of the Ulster Teachers’ Union, said Far Eastern countries, such as South Korea, Singapore and Japan constantly outperformed the UK in international studies on maths and science.

“It is no coincidence that one of the central tenets of the teaching profession in these countries is kounaikenshuu – continuous professional development. This is one way their teachers remain at the leading edge when it comes to educating the next generation,” he said.

“This ongoing professional development means teachers are at the very top of their game - inspired, inspirational, motivated and motivational,” said Mr Scott.

“Northern Ireland enjoys some of the best academic results in the UK and that is due in no small measure to the high calibre of its teachers who are committed and make the most of opportunities to further develop their expertise.

“We appreciate that resources are stretched but it is at these times the Department of Education must look carefully at where is uses that hard-pressed funding.

“The alarming cutbacks we are seeing in the opportunities teachers have to further develop their expertise and their careers can only create a negative effect on the teaching which our children receive in the classroom,” he said.

“Now, more than ever, our teachers need to be world class if Northern Ireland is to compete on a global scale for in this internet age there are few geographical boundaries. We must be sure that our students can compete with the best from any continent and it is the teachers who underpin all that.

“If sixth formers look at teaching as a prospective career but see little chance of professional development, indeed an alarming fall in those opportunities, they’ll look elsewhere and we will loose those top students who could make such a difference.

“If this continues for any length of time it’s a situation which could take years to rectify in terms of bringing teaching standards back up,” he added.